Do you consider your pets to be part of the family?

I do. I have 3 cats and a Yorkie and I honestly do count them as family members and also as my best friends too.

One of my cats recently had a cancer scare (got the results back today, thankfully all his cysts are benign and his bloodwork was perfect) and before we got his results I was a nervous wreck and worried sick and the thought of anything happening to him or any of my other pets, honestly brought a tear to my eye and made my heart and stomach drop.

A lot of my friends say they feel the exact same way about their pets but I was surprised to hear that a lot don't feel that connected with their pets and do care about them but see them as an 'ornament' around the house or just something that is there.

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Reply 1

DeceitfulDove

Yes. They are my babies. I love them more than I do most people..

Reply 2

dreadpiraterach

I have 2 dogs and I definitely see them as family members. They're both very loyal and loving and are always around to make my day better. They have so much personality too! Whenever one of them gets ill, everyone is really worried and upset. Life just won't be the same without them.

OP, glad to hear your cat doesn't have cancer and I hope he's okay! :smile:

Reply 3

CJKay

Of course! I miss my dog as much as I miss my other family members. :yes:

Reply 4

username402722

I have none, my parents have a cat and my aunt has two which for them are definitely part of the family.

Reply 5

Ladyliesel

I do. I have two dogs and two cats. I've had the dogs since I was five years old. I grew up with my pets like family members. I recognise their personalities and quirks. I was devastated when our third dog died two years ago.

Reply 6

Ice_Queen

Yes, of course. My cat means the world to me, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her. Previous cats have died and broken the hearts of me and the rest of my family. When Tinker was run over, I swear to God I have never seen my father run so fast to get to her. We kept vigil over her until we could bury her (literally one of us was always sat by her side). When Tilly died I was at university and when my parents called I screamed and cried so loudly the girls down the hall ran to my room, they panicked.

I am glad your pet is OK :smile:

Yes!

what pets?

Thanks everyone, I'm relieved about Mylo. Getting his results back was a great way to end the year.

There is nothing worse than losing a pet :frown:

my old dog got out down on my 12th birthday and it was also the day I left primary school! Almost 10 yrs on and the family still misses her :frown:

Reply 10

alex193

Yep

Got 2 cats, and another coming from the shelter on Friday! :smile:

He'll be number 6 that we've had, one and two lived out a full and happy life and 3 got hit by a car :frown:

4 and 5 are going strong :wink:

Spoiler

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 11

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Yasmin25

I consider our kitten as part of the family.
It was the same with our old cat- he was considered as part of the family as well.

Reply 12

Changing Skies

Yep, my family is massive as a result of it :lol:

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Reply 13

dancingpanda

yes to me my dogs are as much a part of my family as my parents and siblings are

Reply 14

Delph123

I have four cats (well 3 cats and a kitten) and they are my babies. I'd be lost without them. I lost one of mine for over a month last year, couldn't function properly while she was missing. Getting her back was one of the best days of my life. My parents cat is also like one of the family to me. He is dying of cancer and it's heartbreaking :frown:

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Reply 15

Rum Ham

Original post by Delph123

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Aww

I'm so sorry to hear about your parents cat *hugs*
My mum's old Boxer died of cancer 2 days before I was born. 21 yrs on and she still misses him :frown:

Reply 16

LinzyLoo

Original post by Yasmin25

My mum's old Boxer died of cancer 2 days before I was born. 21 yrs on and she still misses him :frown:

No wonder, boxers are the best! My boy died 3 and a half years ago and I miss him so much :frown:

Reply 17

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Yasmin25

I do. I have 3 cats and a Yorkie and I honestly do count them as family members and also as my best friends too.
(...)

Same here! my dog is an important part of my family, more important than certain relatives in my family.

Reply 18

Rum Ham

Its nice to hear so many people regard their pets so highly :smile:

I'm the same with any animal though. As soon as there is a storm or terrible weather outside, the first thing I think is "oh no what about the strays?!" and I just wanna go out and save them all lol.

Reply 19

Ronove

Absolutely. I miss the cats more than I miss my family most days. Obviously that's partly to do with the fact that I can talk to my family on Skype and they're actually aware of what's going on when that is happening, unlike the animals. :tongue:

Sometimes the cat that is most attached to me (his name is Shuya) seems to recognise my voice temporarily and it breaks my heart to think that he might think I'm about to walk in, when I'm not. Thankfully he's quite independent now that he's grown up a bit so he doesn't miss me too much I don't think.

He disappeared for about a week last year and I couldn't function, being here in Denmark and being unable to do anything but wait. My mum and stepdad Skyped me and said 'we've got something to show you' and when my mum put the laptop down in front of Shuey, I just howled tears of joy and relief.

We've always had cats, the first was Isaiah who my parents got shortly before I was born, and he died when I was thirteen. It was really bizarre losing him when he'd simply always been there, he'd been my best friend and companion for all of my early years. Given that we've had periods where we've rescued many cats, having a total of seven at one point several years ago and six once again now, I've unfortunately had to experience many deaths, some more traumatic than others. I wouldn't stop having cats because of it though.

We're not allowed cats in this apartment and we're not going to be able to move to a different one for a long time (it doesn't make sense since this one is so cheap in comparison), maybe like eight years. It sucks! I just keep being tempted to fly home for yet another visit, just to get my cat fix...